Presser-foot for cloth-cutters.



- J. B. GURY. PRESSER FOOT FOR CLOTH CUTTERS, APPLICATION FILED JUNE5, 1916.

' Patented July 17, 1917.

I v A M y m JOHN B. GURY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

PRES-SER-FOOT FOR CLOTH-CUT'IERS.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented July 17, 1917'.

Application filed June 5, 1916. Serial No. 101,667.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. GURY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Presser-Feet for Cloth-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to electric cloth cutting machines of the type wherein a vertical cutting blade is reciproc-ated up and down as it is advanced through the lay or work being out.

The object of the invention is to provide for the instantaneous adjustment of the vertical position of the presser foot by the use of one hand only, whereby it may be adjusted to varying thickness of lay without stopping the cutting operation. A further object to provide for the ready removal of the presser foot from in front of the cutting edge of the knife to permit of sharpening the latter. 1

The invention consists in a slide mounted for vertical movement in front of the frame of the cloth cutter and carrying the presser foot at its lower end, and a swinging rack bar arranged alongside of the slide and pivoted to its upper end, the lower end of the rack bar being held by a spring to cause the rack bar normally toengage a fixed tooth on the frame of the machine to hold the slide in adjusted position.

Further objects and details of the invention will appear from the description in connection with the accompanying drawings; and what the invention consists in is further stated in the claims.

In the drawings, wherein the same reference characters designate the same parts in the several views,

Figure 1 is a side view of an electric cloth cutting machine embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a front view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a portion of the machine showing the side of the presser foot opposite that shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-section through the presser foot and stand of the machine, looking down on the line 4% in Fig. 1.

For purposes of description, the invention is shown applied to a cloth cutting machine of the vertical blade type having a base 10 and stand 11 for supporting the electric motor and operating parts. The stand is wide and thin and has a groove in its front edge within which the knife blade 12 works up and down. The driving motor and mechanism for reciprocating the knife is housed within the casing 13, and may be of any suitable type, The machine is guided by means of a handle 14 attached to the back of the stand 11 at its upper end.

The presser foot 15 is arranged in front of the knife with its back end slotted to straddle the knife and front edge of the stand '11. The presser foot has a curved bottom adapted to ride upon the top of the lay or pile of cloth being out to hold it down as the knife reciprocates up and down through it. Above the bottom of the presser foot is a finger hold 16 for convenience in sliding the presser foot up and down.

The presser foot is mounted on the lower end of a slide 17 which is adjustable vertically in guides 18 on the front casing 19 of the machine. A plate 20 holds the slide in place in the guides. The slide and presser foot are held in vertical adjustment by means of a rack bar 21 which is arranged alongside of the slide and is notched or toothed on its edge away from the slide to engage a fixed pawl or tooth 22 on the edge of the plate 20.

The rack bar is pivoted to the slide at its upper end to swing away from the tooth 22, and its lower end is loosely held in a clip 28 which is secured to the lower end of the slide. A spring 24 arranged between the lower end of the rack bar and the slide normally holds the rack bar against the tooth 22 and prevents it and the slide from vertical movement. A thumb button 25 on the lower end of the rackbar provides means for swinging it toward the slide to disengage it from the tooth 22 and permit raising or lowering the slide, which may be easily and quickly done with one hand.

The slide and guide are long enough to permit the presser foot to be raised clear of the knife with a single movement of one hand, where it is held by the rack bar until readjusted in cutting position.

It i evident that modifications in the shape and arrangement of the parts can be made without departing from the invention, and the invention is not restricted to the details shown in the drawings.

What I claim as my invention is as follows:

1. A. cloth cutting machine having a casing, a vertical slide mounted in a guide on the casing, a presser foot mounted on said cured thereto, a tooth on said guide adapted to engage said rack bar to hold said slide in adjusted position, and means for normally holdingsaid rack bar and toothin engagement.

2. A cloth cutting machine having a casing, a vertical slide mounted in a guide on the casing, a presser foot mounted on said slide for vertical movement, a swinging rack barvarranged alongside said slide and pivoted thereto at one end, a tooth on said guide adapted to engage said rack bar to hold said slide in adjusted position, and spring means for normally holding said rack bar and tooth in engagement.

3. A cloth cutting machine having a casving, a vertical slide mounted in a guide on the casing, a presser foot mounted on said slide for vertlcal movement, a swmging rack bar arranged alongslde sa1d slide and 1 secured thereto for sideWise movement, a

fixed tooth on said guide adapted to engage said rack bar to hold said slide in adjusted position, and means for normally holding said rack bar and tooth in engagement.

4. A cloth cutting machine having a casing, a vertical slide mounted in a guide on the casing, a presser foot mounted on said slide for vertical movement and having a finger hold, a swinging rack bar arranged alongside said slide and pivoted thereto at one end, a tooth on said guide adapted to engage said rack bar to hold said slide in adjusted position, and spring means for normally holding said rack bar and tooth in engagement, said rack bar having a thumb button adjacent to said linger hold for cooperating therewith for pressing said rack bar away from said tooth and raising or lowering said presser foot.

5. A cloth cutting machine comprising a frame and a vertically movable presser foot, a rack bar connected to said presser foot for endWise movement therewith, a tooth on said machine frame, said rack bar being movable laterally to engage said tooth, and means for holding said rack bar normally against said tooth, said rack bar and presser foot being arranged in juxtaposition where by said rack bar may be disengaged from said tooth and said presser foot lifted with one hand.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this second day of June, 1916.

JOHN B. GURY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

